Curriculum(Product((N.

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Unit: Growing & Flowing
Introduction: The content, lessons, and products featured in this curriculum product were adapted
from content originally created by my PLT and me for our sixth grade science classes at Ligon
Middle School. This curriculum product follows students learning about the structure and function of
a flowering plant, and precedes students learning about photosynthesis, respiration, and
transpiration. Students will be focusing on plant survival and defense mechanisms throughout this
unit. The unit is wrapped up by an all-encompassing summative assessment: The Hunger Games:
Super Plant Edition, in which students design, describe, and test their very own Super Plants. All
artifacts can be found in this Google Drive Folder, in which there is also an outline that describes
each artifact.
Essential Standard Objective:
6.L.1.1 Summarize the basic structures and functions of flowering plants required for
survival, reproduction, and defense.
6.L.2.2 Explain how plants respond to external stimuli (including dormancy and forms of
tropisms) to enhance survival in an environment.
Essential Questions (presented at the beginning of the unit, used as formative assessment
throughout the unit)
How do flowering plants survive, reproduce, and defend themselves?
How do plants survive in harsh or changing environments?

Address Prior Knowledge (approx. 90 minutes)

Plant Structure & Function
Students must be able to identify the parts of a flowering plant and explain their functions in order to
be successful in this unit. Prior to beginning this mini-unit, students would have just finished
studying the structure and function of a flowering plant. This gives them a solid basis of the parts of
a plant so that they can better understand how those parts are used for survival, reproduction, and
defense.
Post information about the various parts of a flowering pant and their functions around the
classroom. Send students on a scavenger hunt around the room to complete Plant and Structure
Function Notes (01). Early finishers are then asked to come up with everyday metaphors for the
jobs or functions of each part of the plant. For example, one student said the ovary is like an egg
carton because it holds and protects the ovules (eggs) of the flower. This can be used as an
individual activity for students at a higher readiness level or as a group activity to scaffold for lower
readiness levels.
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Have students perform a flower dissection to reinforce the concepts learned previously in their Plant
Structure and Function notes. Provide each group (2-3 students) with a Flower Dissection Lab
Procedures (02) and each individual student with his/her own copy of Flower Dissection Lab (03)
worksheet to complete during the lab. Circulate among the groups while students are performing
their dissections to assess their understanding and to ensure all students are correctly identifying the
various parts of the flower.
Students also previously completed a mini-unit on photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration.
This knowledge was not vital background knowledge for students to understand concepts presented
in this mini-unit, but it is important to know that these concepts were also assessed in the summative
assessment presented at the end of this unit.

Explore & Explain

Pollination and Fertilization (approx. 90 minutes)
Students will discover how the processes of
pollination and fertilization work through a
reading and a video from Discovery Education.
While exploring content on the Discovery
Education board, have students fill out guided
notes, Pollination and Fertilization Questions
(04). If possible, use iPads, laptops, or other
individual devices with headphones so that
students can have the choice to work either
with a partner or individually. If no such
technology is available, project the Discovery
Education board from a projector and
complete the activity as a whole class. If
students are working individually or with
partners, circulate as students are working to
assess understanding. (Click this link or copy
and paste this URL to view the Pollination and
Fertilization Discovery Education board:
https://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/vie
w/assetGuid/CC7A7C30-8344-42FF-AC83F0E6ADF0C214)
When students have completed the Pollination and Fertilization Questions, create groups of
students (or allow students to pick their own groups) of about 4-5. Instruct students to create a skit
of the process of pollination or fertilization. Use their skits as assessment of student understanding
of the two processes. If students do not accurately portray the processes, question the rest of the
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class about how they could have changed or fixed their skit in order to point out errors and address
misconceptions.
Defense Mechanisms (approx. 90-120 minutes)
To pre-assess for student knowledge of defense mechanisms, use the following warm-up activity.
Have students first come up with a definition of defense mechanisms this definition can be
completely unrelated to plants, just used to get students thinking about what the concept means in
general. Students then, in a group, come up with a list of ways that plants could defend themselves.
Tell students that they will research how plants use some of these defense mechanisms for
protection and survival.
For this project, students will need access to the internet, whether through access to computers in a
computer lab, their own devices, or other electronic devices provided by the school. I implemented
this as an in-class project because of my students lack of electronic/internet resources at home, but
this could also be used as an at-home project. Put students in groups of 3-4 and assign each group
a defense mechanism to research.
When first presenting the project, use the Defense Mechanisms Rubric (05). This will help students
immediately understand the expectations of the project and how they will be graded. Give students
access to Webliography: Defense Mechanisms (06) a compilation of sources that can be used to
guide their research. Students will research their defense mechanism, including a definition and
three real-world examples of their defense mechanism. They will also create a visual to aid in
presentation of their research, and will be required to present their research to the class in order to
teach the content to their classmates. See the Defense Mechanisms Rubric (05) for a more
detailed breakdown of scoring.
Once all projects have been presented, have students write a one paragraph persuasive description
of which defense mechanism is the best. Use this as another formative assessment of defense
mechanisms.
Tropisms (approx. 40-50 minutes)
Use the videos in the Tropisms Discovery Education
Board to illustrate the various tropisms
phototropism, thigmotropism, and gravitropism.
While watching videos, students should be
answering the questions posted on the Discovery
Education board in their notebooks or on their own
sheet of paper. If time permits, use the extra
videos at the bottom of the board to provide
another example of the tropisms for students. Go
over answers to questions from the board as a
whole class; use as formative assessment of
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tropisms to see where there are still
misunderstandings or misconceptions. (Click this link
or copy and paste this URL to view the Tropisms
Discovery Education board:
https://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/asse
tGuid/9E507DBF-C3BF-03CC-8EC9-A3E3898EDA56)
Summarize content learned from the Discovery
Education board activity by creating a set of Tropisms
Visual Notes (07) together with students. This will
help address misconceptions such as the difference between negative and positive tropisms, and
how those look different with different stimuli. Use questioning while creating the class set of notes
to assess student understanding and mastery.

Assessment
Formative Assessment: Essential Questions
In preparation for the more formal, summative assessment, have students work in groups to answer
the Essential Questions presented at the beginning of the unit. Use this to see if any concepts need
to be revisited or retaught before students are put to the task of their summative assessment.
Summative Assessment: Hunger Games Project
The Hunger Games: Super Plant project is designed to assess the objectives and standards
addressed in this curriculum project as well as standards that address photosynthesis, respiration,
and transpiration. Use the Hunger Games Project Description (08) to introduce the Hunger Games:
Super Plant project. In this project, students will be using all of their knowledge about plant
structure and function, defense mechanisms, tropisms, and pollination and fertilization, as well as
concepts learned from other standards, to create the ultimate Super Plant to compete a life-or(

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death Hunger Games competition. Students will create the Super Plant using the chart provided
on the Hunger Games Project Description, choosing various traits based on the advantages and
disadvantages of each. Once they have chosen the desired traits, students will have a chance to
design their Super Plants. Depending on the resources available, students can create a twodimensional drawing of the plants, or, if more resources are available, students can create more
elaborate, three-dimensional plant designs. Finally, students will write a description of their super
Plants, justifying why they chose each trait and how each trait would help their plants survive and
thrive in the Hunger Games competition. I implemented this as a primarily in-class project so that I
could provide students with the support needed to be successful. However, this could also be
implemented as an out-of-class project.
Once students had completed their Super Plant projects, they will compete in a head-to-head
Hunger Games competition against their fellow students. This competition is held on the Hunger
Games Game Board (09) using the Hunger Games Game Cards (10) to create scenarios and move
across the board. The two competitors start on the center circle of the Hunger Games Game Board,
and then alternate choosing cards to dictate movement throughout the game. The game cards
present various situations that could threaten the plants lives. Students will move forward on the
board if their plant would have survived the situation on the card or they will move backwards on the
board if their plant would have suffered or died completely in the situation.
Following the competition, students will reflect on their project using the following prompt:
Is there such a thing as a perfect plant or a Super Plant? Explain why or why not using
evidence from your Hunger Games competition.
This will give students a chance to see that different traits are advantageous depending on the
scenario or climate in which they are living. It will also help them reflect on how they could have
built a more invincible plant. Use the Hunger Games Project Rubric (11) to grade student work.